DIY Network

Roofing: Who's Doing the Work? From "Be Your Own Contractor" episode DBYC-104

Though a do-it-yourself roofer himself, Michael Buchtel stresses the importance of proper experience and safety. If you don't have the expertise or lack the confidence, let the pros do it.

In this segment of DIY's Be Your Own Contractor, the various contractors talk about who actually did the work in the roofing of their homes. Some also discuss the factors that went into the decision to hire a subcontractor or do it themselves.

For Andy Beasley of Hillsdale, CO, the decision of who would do the work was a no-brainer. He had no intention of tackling the difficult and potentially dangerous job himself, and immediately decided to hire professionals. Michael Buchtel of Williamsburg, VA took the opposite approach. He did every bit of the roofing work himself, laying every last shingle. He had the experience with roofing from past jobs to feel confident enough to do the work himself -- from selecting the style of shingle, to chalking lines to nailing down the shingles.

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	Figure A
	Figure B
	Figure C
	Figure D
	Going with a subcontractor for roofing is a good choice if you lack the experience or expertise to do it yourself. This is an especially critical job, and some things are best left to the pros.
	On the other hand, an experienced and determined do-it-yourselfers like Fred Samuels was able to install this attractive tin roof by himself.

Who's Doing the Work?

• Going with a subcontractor for roofing is a good choice if you lack the experience or confidence to do it yourself. This is an especially critical job, and some things are best left to the pros. But depending on the style of roof you choose, and the material, it may not always be easy to find professional roofers who can do the type of job you want. Skip Weahunt, for example, had difficulty finding roofers who could work with composition asphalt-shingle roofing. Skip and his son Anton ended up doing the roofing work themselves.

• Fred Samuels of Rockwood, TN -- our most devout do-it-yourselfer -- also installed his tin roof himself. The initial bids he got from local subcontractors were so prohibitively expensive that his determination to do it himself was made even stronger. He feels that, by doing it himself, he saved about $7000, plus he got the added benefit of making certain that the installation was done to his own high standards (figure A).

• Along with a sense of personal pride, cost-savings was also one of Michael Buchtel's main motivations in doing his own roofing on his 4500-square-foot house in Williamsburg (figure B). He found there was no way to build a house of that size and pay professional roofers while still meeting his own financial goals he had set. With his experience in electrical engineering and construction, Michael was not only able to take care of the roofing himself, but also many of the other major parts of the construction including foundation and walls. He had done roofing jobs prior to this one, but never one this big.

• Despite his own success, Michael advises those who lack the proper experience and knowledge with roofing -- or who have serious safety concerns -- to spend the money to hire professional roofers (figures C and D). They have the expertise -- as well as the liability insurance coverage -- to handle this potentially dangerous job.

• Jody Siegler of Los Angeles, CA stresses the importance of hiring reputable pros if you're going to subcontract your roofing. Find a firm that has been in business for a long time -- and who's likely to be in business through the life of your roof's warranty. Make sure they are properly insured, and get an agreement in writing.

In the segment that follows, the do-it-yourselfers tell their stories about the installation of their roofs, and safety issues are discussed.